Lorain, OH, facility installs new VCC to produce more ToughtMet®

Materion Brush Performance Alloys (Materion) has added a vertical continuous caster (VCC) to its Lorain, OH, facility to meet growing demands for ToughMet, a unique copper-nickel-tin alloy that is used in the oil and gas, aerospace, heavy machinery and electronics markets. The new VCC, which started producing materials in July, will double Materion’s capacity for ToughMet and other high-performance alloys.

Materion commissioned its first VCC in 1997 and introduced the ToughMet product line in 1999. The alloy is sold in bulk, strip, rod/wire, and finished machined component product forms.

With its unique combination of strength, lubricity, and corrosion and wear resistance under severe loading conditions, this copper-nickel-tin alloy has become one of the company’s most successful materials across many different markets.

ToughMet shipments have grown at a compound rate greater than 20 percent per year since 2003 and growth is expected to continue at or near this pace for the next three years.